Blessed
by shikaandtoshirofan
Summary: When Lily Potter sacrificed herself to save her son, the Goddess Etro intervened in order to save the boy's life. He had been blessed by Etro but remained unaware of the fact until one terrible night when the Seeress, Yeul peered into his world and saw his fate. Caius vows to destroy the boy but Serah, Noel and Hope catch wind of his plan and teach Harry about his new found gift.
1. Chapter 1

Blessed Chapter 1: Memories 

Author's Note: Welcome to the first chapter of "Blessed". Just a few reference things I should clear up before you guys start reading….. any words in _italics_ _are memories or flashbacks. _In addition this story takes place during the fifth book of Harry Potter and after Caius attempts to trap Noel and Serah in the Void Beyond in FF13-2. Hope you guys enjoy the story! Happy Holidays~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing expect the original plot of this story. I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy 13-2

3rd Person P.O.V

As they drifted through the Historia Crux in direction of Academia, Serah couldn't help but let her mind wander to the events that had just transpired. She knew that Noel had already let his mind go astray because a deep vacancy had entered his gaze as he tried once again to retreat into his mind and retrieve his lost memories. Serah followed suite and allowed her conscious to be washed away into the wave of her recent memories.

_Her feet scuffed hollowly against the stone terrain as she ran to the figure in the distance. Serah Farron ran desperately to growing vision of the next Yeul. Would this Yeul finally tell her how to escape from this prison?_

"_Yeul!" Serah called to the young girl. The girl in question did nothing in response besides stare vacantly into the black depths of the Void Beyond almost as if there was no one talking to her at all._

"_There once were six and one l'cie, and their story is a miracle." She recited still staring into the depths of the Void not bothering to face the person to whom she was addressing. _

"_The six…that was Lighting and Snow and the others! And the one… that must be me!"_

"_They were all bound to the same focus, one which they completed and led them to a horrible fate. But the Goddess Etro saw their courage and released them from that fate. The Goddess blessed the six l'cie and the one, and another one, a child." Yeul explained._

"_So it was the Goddess who saved us that day?" Serah asked_

"_Yes."_

"_Is that why I can time travel? Wait Snow can time travel as well! Does that means anyone blessed by Etro possess the gift?" Serah deducted putting the pieces of the puzzle together._

"_You are correct."_

"_Are we the only ones beside the Seeress who have ever been blessed?" Serah questioned. If there were other people who had been blessed perhaps they had also been meddling with time._

"_Yes…." Yeul replied finally turning towards Serah. The look in her eyes was definite and there was no dishonest in them but suddenly her stance began to soften, her knees began to buckle and soon she was seated on the ground, her eyes wide open and glowing with a new vision._

" _Wait…. That's not- It can't be!"_

"_Yeul? What's wrong?" Serah asked as she kneeled beside the Seeress._

"_I –I see a baby. He-he's crying because his mother is putting him down." She gasped sharply and his voice was etched with effort, she almost looked in pain. "Someone- someone's coming."_

"_Who?" Serah asked in concern but to no effect, Yeul as too deep in her vision to hear her questions._

"_No! Don't do it!" The young girl cried. "The mother she's dead and the killer- he's going for the child!"_

"_No!" Serah yelled as if her cries could change what she knew was coming next._

"_What's happening?" Yeul asked her hands shaking from some unknown amazement._

"_What?"_

"_The flash…. it just bounced off!" Yeul explained her full body trembling. Finally the glow from her eyes disappeared and she was once again brought hurtling back towards reality._

"_It appears that we're not the only ones who have received Etro's blessing." The young Seeress announced as grabbed onto Serah's outstretched arm and helped herself to her feet._

"_The boy in your vision… he was blessed too? Who is he?" _

"_I don't know. He had this strange scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt."_

"_How could he have gotten that?"_

Suddenly, as if the wave of the memory had finally washed over her, Serah found herself once again drifting in the Historia Crux with Noel calling her name as he floated in front of her.

"Serah are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine Noel. Just thinking is all." Serah waved off trying to smile as a cold chill shot through her spine as a side effect of the unpleasant memory.

"I know what you mean." Noel sympathized as he allowed himself to float back towards Serah's side. "I can't help the feeling that Caius is going to do something awful to that kid."

Both of travelers once again allowed the ocean of memories to pass over them as they eased into yet another unpleasant memory.

_Noel and Serah had finally escaped their nightmares and found Noel's dream world desecrating back into the Void Beyond and were surprised to see Caius and Yeul still there. Caius held Yeul as she lay on the ground and withered in pain as yet another vision came to her. _

"_The boy," Yeul whispered. "That boy with the scar….what a poor boy." She whispered as she reached a hand to the sky. "His other world where is it?"_

"_I know Yeul." Caius said as his brows furrowed together and he tried to still her shaking body. "It's alright; it'll all be over soon. I'll make sure of it."_

Serah and Noel pushed these thoughts back into a deep crevice of their mind and focused on what was ahead. They had faded back into the Historia Crux before Caius detected them but now they needed to find Hope back at Academia in 4XX to tell him what they had learned.

"We've got to get back to Hope. He might know something about this other world Yeul mentioned." Serah inquired.

"I'm starting to think that might not be such a good idea…." Noel trailed off a familiar tone of anger lacing in with his words.

"And why not?"

"Think about it Serah. We've never had anything bad happen to us in the Historia Crux before and _suddenly_ when Alyssa gives us an artefact _free of charge_ after she had a _change of heart_ we end up in the Void Beyond with Caius hot on our tails? Coincidence?" Noel questioned sarcastically.

"You think Alyssa sabotaged us?" Serah cried in disbelief.

"That's what it looks like."

"Only one way to find out, kupo!" Mog chimed in as a light from the end of the tunnel began to block the travelers' sight. "Here we go, kupo!"

Soon the world around Serah and Noel turned to a bright white light as they noticed their bodies start to shimmer. Within a blink of an eye the whiteness gradually began to gain colours and those colours soon formed shapes, and soon the streets of Academia formed around them.

They fell onto the surface of the street simultaneously and were glad to see that Academia seemed the same as had they had left it. The constant chatter of the busy bodies who inhabited the city still buzzed around in the atmosphere and in the distance the Academy building still stood strong and tall; impressive as ever.

"Come on Serah, we have to get Academy headquarters." Noel called back as he began to run.

"Right behind you!" She replied easing into a run herself.

"Wait for me, kupo!" Mog cried as he failed once again to keep up with his human companions. Once the team finally managed to navigate through the bustling streets of the city into the headquarters they found Hope and Alyssa already waiting for them behind the entrance doors.

"Why are you guys back so early?" Alyssa asked her voice completely calm and her eyes steady. If she was lying she was doing a good job at it.

"Don't play dumb Alyssa!" Noel snarled as he stepped forward to look down upon the girl. "That artefact you gave us sent us on a silver platter right to Caius!"

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked suddenly her eyes growing wide with shock. "What happened?"

"When we got into the Historia Crux everything went haywire and we got sent to the Void Beyond!" Noel explained his voice raising.

"We got separated and Mog disappeared. Caius tried to imprison us in dream worlds but thankfully we got out." Serah continued with a calm voice.

"I had no idea that was going to happen!" Alyssa swore.

"I somehow doubt that." Noel muttered to himself.

"Alyssa…." Hope began turning sharply to face his companion. "You never told me that you gave that arefact to Serah. You said that they found it." Serah and Noel looked at each other in recognition, soon Alyssa's lies would come to an end.

"I did? Well…. I just wanted them to be off on their way as fast as possible so….. I told you that they found it so you wouldn't have to approve the testing I did to clear the arefact through the Academy." Alyssa admitted with a nervous chuckle.

"But you still performed the tests?" Hope asked raising a skeptical eyebrow. Noel started tapped his foot impatiently, did Hope still want to trust Alyssa? He figured that the two of them had formed quite a bond of trust over the many years they had been together but even so Noel knew that when Hope discovered the truth that he wouldn't spare Alyssa of any punishment.

"Yes of course." Alyssa nodded smiling.

"So if I were to look at the file for this artefact the tests would read all clear?" Hope continued as he walked towards a computer.

"Well I think that they may have _accidently_ gotten deleted." Alyssa added awkwardly.

Hope turned back towards Alyssa and his stare was a cold as ice. "Things don't get _accidently_ deleted in the Academy. Nor do they ever get deleted at all," his firm tone leaving no room for contradictions. When Alyssa finally bowed her head in defeat Hope called to the staff.

"Seize her!" He ordered.

"No, Director please! I didn't mean to-" Alyssa yelled as the Academy guards dragged her away.

When they had pulled her behind a corner into the next hall Hope whispered to himself; "It doesn't matter what you meant to do, it was the fact that you did it." He looked down at his feet and for a moment he in took a shaky breathe and his eyebrows knitted together.

Serah and Noel finally decided to enter the conversation again after Hope had a few minutes to recover. "Are you alright?" Serah asked putting a reassuring hand on Hope's shoulder.

"That doesn't matter right now." Hope commented as he raised his head and took another cleansing breathe. "You came back to tell me something?"

"Well despite almost getting trapped by Caius our trip to the Void Beyond was quite productive. We discovered so much." Serah smiled.

"Oh?" Hope asked his white eyebrows rising with surprise.

"We finally know what Caius wants now." Noel continued. "He's trying to make the world into Valhalla so that time will stop."

"Why would he want that?" Hope volleyed.

"He's trying to stop time so that he can save the Seeress, Yeul." Serah elaborated.

"Because if there's no time…. She wouldn't have to have any visions anymore!" Hope gasped making the connection.

"Exactly." Noel confirmed.

"That's sickening." Hope stated his eyes darkening. "If Caius truly cares about Yeul he would listen to her. She wanted the future to be better didn't she? Imagine how sad she'll be once she sees the damage Caius has caused."

"He just doesn't seem to understand what he's doing to her. That or he doesn't care." Noel snorted.

"On a more positive note!" Serah interjected. "We have important news."

"Which is?" Hope inquired.

"Your dream of time travel might not be far off." Noel responded

"How so?" Hope asked.

"Well we found out why Snow, Lighting and I can all time-travel." Serah announced. "That day when we all woke up from our crystal sleep it was the Goddess Etro that saved us."

"That's the same Goddess the Seeress was blessed by!" Hope remembered.

"So when she saved you guys, you were all blessed by Etro and given the ability to time travel." Noel clarified.

"Which means because you, Snow and Lightning received the gift, so did I?" Hope asked still not quite sure that what he was hearing was actually true.

"Yes." Serah giggled as she observed Hope dumbfounded face. But after the shock finally wore off on Hope, he came to the same conclusion that Serah had reached not too long ago.

"Were there any others who received Etro's blessing?" He asked the two travelers.

"Yes there was this boy Yeul mentioned." Serah informed.

"What boy?" Hope asked. Serah opened her mouth to answer but reframed, the boy's story sounded all too similar to Hope's.

"A boy with a lightning scar. Someone tried to kill him and his mother sacrificed herself to save him." Noel answered obliviously. Hope eyes immediately downcast and suddenly he felt the need to swallow frequently.

"I see then. His mother was a brave woman." Hope remarked his glance still cast on the floor. Serah looked to Noel and found a confused expression glazing his features. He obviously hadn't realized what his comments had meant to Hope. Serah side stepped once and jabbed him in the side sharply with her elbow.

"What was that for?" Noel demanded.

"You're really oblivious aren't you?" Serah whispered back.

"What?"

"Hope's mom died in the Purge!" Serah explained keeping her voice hushed.

"Oh." Noel remarked his lips forming the shape of the letter he had just said. "Hey Hope?" Noel called snapping Hope back into the present reality.

"Oh sorry. I appeared to have lost my attention for a moment." Hope chuckled nervously. "So when the mother saved this boy… the goddess blessed him?" Hope asked his normal composure returning.

"Yes, or at least that's what we believe." Serah confirmed.

"Yeul was having a vision of him when he got out of the nightmares." Noel provided. "She said something about 'his other world'."

"Is it even possible for him to be from another world?" Serah asked Hope, hoping for some incite.

"The Academy hasn't found any evidence proving or disproving the possibility of other worlds. So I guess that doesn't mean it's impossible." Hope shrugged.

"I'm starting to feel really worried about this boy." Serah trailed off.

"Why?" Hope asked.

"If Caius wants to take away Yeul's suffering wouldn't he do anything to eliminate the cause of said suffering?" Serah explained.

"You think that-?" Hope began.

"Caius is going to kill him? You can count on it." Noel finished smugly.

"We have to do something!" Serah cried.

"How? We don't even know how to get there!" Noel reasoned.

"But hopefully neither will Caius. We'll just have to bet him to the method." Hope offered helpfully.

"If either of us ever find it." Noel groaned.

"We have to try! We have to warn them before Caius arrives!" Serah insisted.

"You're right, but we still have to find a way to get there." Noel agreed. With the argument settled Serah turned towards Hope and prepared once again to bid him farewell.

"I guess Noel and I will go back to the Historia Crux and look around." She stated. She was used to seeing the disappointment in Hope's eyes whenever she and Noel left him but this time was different. There was a new fire in his eyes which she had only seen a few times before.

"No. I think I should go." Hope said with conviction. "I _can_ time travel after all."

"But Hope-" Serah started.

"You two need to solve the paradoxes in the timeline. You can't be off doing anything else." Hope reminded her.

"What about your projects here?" Noel asked.

"The Academy will take care of them for me." Hope covered. "Besides….." he trailed off looking towards the corner in which they had dragged his traitorous companion not too long ago. "I think I need to get out of here for a little."

~END OF CHAPTER! HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY!~


	2. Chapter 2

Blessed Chapter 2: Dreams

Author's Note: Hey guys welcome to chapter 2 of Blessed! I request you guys please ignore any Hope puns that I may intentionally or unintentionally weave into this story. HOPEFULLY they wouldn't be too bad ahahaha *shot* Enjoy the chapter and please if you have the time let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing expect the original plot of this story. I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy 13-2

3rd Person P.O.V

Harry desperately pleaded for the escape of sleep. The entire night he lay awake, fitfully tossing and turning as the boys around him remained in a peaceful slumber. The blankets wrapped around him seemed like a cage as they trapped his arms and legs close to his body. But eventually a restless sleep did in fact pass over the boy when the earliest rays of sunlight began to sprawl across the grounds of Hogwarts.

In his hazed mind Harry saw himself suspended in what reminded him of a starry night sky and he found himself enclosed in a series of rings that turned endlessly. Where exactly was he?

Harry found that he could move freely in the strange space. He spun around a few times in search of anything that could get him out of his predicament and registered a quick flash of white pass through his peripheral. Shocked Harry turned around once more, slower this time, and found a young man floating towards him in the sky. The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties with shockingly snow-white hair and a uniform complete with a blue tie.

"Hey!" Harry called out to the man as he floated towards him. "Where are we?" the man stopped his travels but didn't reply instead he looked in Harry's direction as if he wasn't there at all. The man's eyes didn't focus on the wizard; it was if he was looking right through Harry.

"Hello?" Harry asked as he waved a hand right in front of the confused man's face.

"Is someone there?" He questioned as his eyes darted back and forth.

"Yes, right in front of you." Harry answered.

"I'm afraid I can't see you." The young man admitted.

"But you can hear me…." Harry remarked becoming confused himself.

"Strange….. I wonder why that is….." The man trailed off.

"Well I am dreaming right now." Harry realized.

"A dream…. Just like Serah!" He gasped.

"Who's Serah?"

"That doesn't matter just yet. More importantly are you the boy with the lightning-shaped scar?" The man questioned in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Yeah….How did you know about that?" Harry asked. He was used to hearing people immediately recognize him because of his scar but it was weird that this man had to ask if he was the 'boy' with the scar not 'Harry Potter' or the 'Boy Who Lived'. It made Harry think that the man who was occupying this strange tunnel with him didn't know the significance behind what he was asking.

"You see…." The man trailed off and began to hesitate with his words as if carefully crafting his next phrase. "You and I share a very important gift".

"A gift, what kind of a gift?"

"A very rare one… in fact I only know a handful of people who have it. It truly is a very special gift but…. not all people see it as such. They want to punish you for it." The way the man's eyes darkened as he spoke these words resonated with Harry; whatever the man was talking about it affected him _very_ personally.

"Who are 'these people'? what do they have against us? What gift do we even have?" Harry demanded his frustration growing.

"I know that you must have a lot of questions and rightfully….. it's just…." He started suddenly looking quite overwhelmed by the situation. "You'll have to wait a bit longer…. I have to get to your world first."

"My world? Weren't not even from the same world?" Harry cried in disbelief throwing his hands up in the air as a forfeit to whatever god, spirit or supernatural power he must have angered to deserve this punishment.

"Yes, you and I are from separate worlds and in order for me to teach you about your gift and how to handle the challenges you will soon face I need to get to yours. Once I am there I promise I'll answer any questions you have." The man assured. Harry began to rub his temples to ward off the headache that he felt coming on and took a deep breath before speaking once again.

"How are we going to do that?" Harry sighed.

"I sadly haven't the faintest clue. Unless there is some way you could perhaps… lead me there?" He asked hopefully.

"Well it's not like you can even see me….How could I possible-" Harry scoffed until an idea choked the words out of him midsentence. "Wait….I have any idea!" He exclaimed pulling his wand out of his pajama pocket.

"What?" The man asked looking around to see if his environment had been altered at all.

Harry drew his wand and pointed his outstretched wand arm in front of the man's feet. He gradually slowed his breathing and cleared his mind. He began to only allow his thoughts to be filled with the happiness he had once experienced.

"_expecto patronum," _The wizard casted softly. A familiar soft blue light emitted from the wand's tip like smoke and eventually converged into the shape of a majestic stag in front of the man's widened eyes. As soon as the incantation was done the man in the suit smiled and began to softly shake his head.

"It's just like a guiding light." He commented fond of Harry's work.

"So if you can see that I figure that if I try to wake up but cast this spell right before I do maybe it'll work as a marker or something…. then you'll be able to find your way out?" The young wizard proposed.

"Sounds like a plan." He nodded.

"Alright then, let's see if this'll work." Harry laughed as he began to prepare himself for the patronus again.

"Wait! Before you go… can you tell me what your name is?" The man requested with a flicker of panic. "So that when I get to your world I can find you…." He elaborated.

"Harry Potter. And yours?" Harry asked

"Hope Esthiem at your service." He chuckled lightly.

"Well I guess I'll see you on the other side, Hope." Harry said as he finally turned away from the man and raised his wand. He tried to raise himself as slowly as possible from the dream but the walls of the tunnel seem to fly by him too fast, he was barely able to cast his patronus before he awoke gasping for air in his bed at Hogwarts. Harry looked around the room to find the sky out the window still stained a dark orange, the boys around him still fast asleep, and a sinking suspicion he just made a terrible mistake forming in his stomach.

~Next Scene~

Harry's pounding headache seemed to pierce through his skull with every step he took towards the Great Hall. He had somehow managed to drag himself through all of his classes, yet the strange tunnel and the man he met in his dream remained in the back of his mind. Harry knew that he should probably dismiss his dream for exactly what it was; a dream, a mere figment of his imagination, yet something about that dream felt too real to be made up. When Hope had told him that he was in danger he believed him, and when he had asked for help, Harry felt he had to comply. Despite these feelings why did he doubt himself now? When he had been talking to Hope he felt he had been doing the right thing and now he just didn't know anymore. But on the other hand if what Harry had experienced was true Hope had yet to make it to Hogwarts. Did perhaps their plan go wrong?

"Hey Harry wait up!" called the distant voice of his best friend Ronald Weasley. Harry slowed his pace in order for his friend to catch up to him and soon his ginger hair friend was beside him shooting him a concerned glance.

"Aren't you hungry, mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah I'm heading to the Great Hall right now…." Harry trailed off confused.

"Harry… you passed the Great Hall a long time ago." Ron informed.

"Really?" Harry asked becoming disoriented; he had really thought that he was in the right spot. "I supposed I just zoned out and didn't realize."

"It's OK mate." Ron comforted. "It's just we saw you pass by when he were sitting down for dinner that's all. Wanted to make sure you were coming."

"Thanks." Harry said nodding and turning back around. With every step he took his headache seemed to become more and more painful till the point where he felt his skull was about to crack open. But Harry wouldn't let his friends worry about him anymore, especially over something as trivial as a silly dream.

When Ron and Harry finally arrived at the seats Hermione and Neville had reserved for them at the Gryffindor table, Harry shot them an apologetic smile and sat down. The young wizard attempted normalcy despite the growing feeling that the world around him was blurring before his eyes.

"Harry, are you OK?" Hermione questioned with concern. "You look pale…."

"Are you kidding? He looks like he's about to faint." Ron said putting a supporting hand on his back to keep Harry from falling backwards. The boy was becoming light headed and everything around him seemed to spin.

"Perhaps we should take you back to the common room?" Neville suggested.

"I'm fine really... I'm just not very hungry is all." Harry assured but sadly his body failed him as he felt the sudden urge to vomit. "On second thought perhaps I should call it a night." He remedied as he let his friends help him to his feet.

"What happened to you?" Neville questioned.

"Did Umbridge slip something into your pumpkin juice?" Ron attempted to joke.

"Not the time Ron." Hermione scolded.

But before the trio could drag Harry out of the Great Hall something sounded from behind them that stopped the young wizards dead in their tracks. It sounded like thunder had struck nearby yet no one remembered the weather being anything but sunny that day. Next they heard the screams; surprised and shrill, yet they weren't the type of screams that were inspired by an infamous Weasley prank. Before they had the chance to turn around to see what was happening teachers began to corral the frightened mob towards the door.

"What was that?" Hermione yelled voicing her companions' thoughts, as she tried desperately to fight the flowing wave of people coming towards her.

"I don't know." Harry started. "But I'm not leaving until I find out!" he declared as he attempted to shoulder his way through the crowd.

"Wait Harry." Neville cautioned. "You were just about to puke; we should really take you back to the common room." Harry felt Neville's and Ron's hands clamp on his shoulders as they continued to escort him to the doorway, following the flow of traffic. He took a little solace in the fact Hermione promised to take a look at the site and report on it later. But then the students heard the thundering footsteps of Rubeus Hagrid approaching and any hope of seeing what the teachers were so desperately hiding from them was squashed.

That was until Harry managed to turn his head around enough in his friends' tight hold to see behind the wall that was Hagrid. What he saw was a floating structure composed of a foggy, white sphere that was surrounding by spiraling stripes of gold metal. As soon as Harry laid eyes on the structure his dizziness, his anxiety, all seemed to disappear. In fact he entered the strangest state of awareness; he had never been so alert in his life. All there was the strange floating object which had just emerged in front of Dumbledore's thrown. Was this some sort of sign that Harry's dream was real after all?

He didn't know how but Harry somehow managed to escape his friends' hold and run past Hagrid, he could faintly hear their shouts in the back of his mind, but for some reason his brain just didn't want to register them. Everything seemed to be silent for a moment and then suddenly all of Harry's senses seemed to double as he saw the structure begin to shimmer and the metal stripes began to rotate around the sphere.

Something became to form in front of the object as slowly, sparkles began to condense and gradually change colour. Everyone remaining in the hall stopped for a moment as they allowed the process to unfold in front of their eyes, and soon the shape that was forming could be clearly identified as human and before long Harry could identify exactly who this human was; Hope Estheim. Everything that had happened in the strange tunnel, in his dream was real and somehow, against all odds, Hope had managed to make it to Hogwarts.

~END CHAPTER~


	3. Chapter 3

Blessed Chapter 3: The Intruder

Author's Note: I apologize for the late update guys! I'll do my best to be faster from now on! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing expect the original plot of this story. I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy 13-2

3rd Person P.O.V

As soon as Hope's body fully materialized in front of the structure, the foggy sphere's shine began to putter out and the spiraling stripes of metal that circled it came to a halt; the magic was over. As soon as his levitating body set foot on the Great Hall's cobblestone floor, the trance that had temporarily possessed all who had watched him arrive dissipated as well.

"_Levicorpus," _commanded the strong voice of Albus Dumbledore. Just as the young man had touched the ground he was once again lifted into the air, but this time he found himself upside down as if he was being dangled from his ankle. A swarm of teachers circled Hope and among them Harry saw Severus Snape point his wand threateningly at the intruder's throat to stop the captive's struggles.

Harry could not stand idly by. Dumbledore was making a mistake and Harry wouldn't allow them to take Hope away before he got to learn the answers to the many questions plaguing his mind.

"Don't hurt him!" Harry yelled as he prepared to run to the scene but before he could he felt a large hand clamp firmly on his shoulder. The teachers' heads immediately snapped around to identify the voice that spoke out for the man who had infiltrated their castle and they weren't surprised to see it was Harry. They waited a moment longer to hear the usual chorus of approval from the boy's friends yet the sound never came. His friends stood just behind him but no one seconded Harry's concern. After all, they too were wondering why Harry would possibly defend this stranger.

"Harry, is that you?" questioned the intruder as his face began to redden due to the blood rushing to his head. All heads turned to the strange man.

"I think it's about time we go." Hagrid remarked frantically as he gathered Harry and his friends and began to push them towards the exit.

"There'll be no need for that Hagrid," Dumbledore ordered his wand arm still outstretched levitating the prisoner. "You may leave Mr. Potter here but please escort everyone else to their Common Room."

Without another word Harry's friends were whisked away but not without confused and outraged looks overtaking their features. Harry tried to mouth 'I'll tell you later' but Hagrid had already made them turn in the opposite direction before he had the chance.

"Mr. Potter, do you know this man?" Professor McGonagall questioned beckoning Harry towards her.

"I saw him in a dream." Harry admitted.

"A dream?" Dumbledore asked his voice becoming hoarse. "Harry, you do know having dreams like that is dangerous. This man could have tapped into your mind."

"You're not taking this boy seriously Headmaster?" Dolores Umbridge demanded.

"Yes." Harry sighed cutting Umbridge off. He was starting to realize how irresponsible his behavior would seem, but he was also growing a slight annoyance with his professors, they weren't there, they weren't the ones that had been told that their lives were in danger once again. Despite being in constant danger, the genuine spark of panic that had formed in Harry's heart had felt worse than what he had experienced before, maybe this was because it came from an evil he did not yet know. Yet Harry had also somehow instantly trusted Hope, a trust perhaps forged between two people who shared an amazing gift. "But that isn't the point right now!"

"Then what is?" Snape scowled as he pressed his wand harder against the intruder's throat.

"That you're in terrible danger, Harry!" Hope wheezed his face flushed and wet with perspiration, he wouldn't be able to stand being hung upside down much longer.

"Silence." Snape's voice commanded his words cutting through the air like a knife.

"What did this man tell you?" McGonagall questioned.

"He told me that his name is Hope Estheim and that's he from another world. He said that we have some kind of a gift that putting us in danger. He wants to help me." Harry answered suddenly becoming strangely aware of how crazy he was beginning to sound.

"You seriously cannot be that naïve." Umbridge remarked shaking her head in disbelief.

"Quiet Dolores," Dumbledore ordered raising his free hand to silence her. "Severus give the man some room, I think it's time to ask him a few questions." When the black-haired Professor finally lowered his wand from the prisoner's throat Dumbledore spun Hope to face right side up much to the man's relief. "Get the veritaserum."

"_Accio_ _veritaserum,"_ muttered the black-haired wizard. Within only a few moments a flask came flying through the air only to land perfectly in the caster's outstretched palm.

"What is that?" Hope asked becoming concerned. "Harry?" he called searching for some assistance.

"Nothing of consequence, dear." Umbridge assured with a shrill giggle. Before the young man had any time to object he found his mouth being forced open and a strange liquid slowly making its way down his throat; burning his esophagus like acid.

"Well that was foul." Hope blurted out as he attempted to spit out the excess serum. He normally wasn't so impolite, even in a situation like this. Hope was usually more prone to reversing his judgments.

"Glad to see the serum is working." Snape remarked.

"What do you mean working?" The intruder demanded the pitch of his voice raising an octave. "What did you give me?"

"A truth serum." The Headmaster answered simply.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, unless of course you have something to hide." Dolores Umbrige smiled a little too widely.

"We're going to ask you a few questions. If Mr. Potter is willing to _remain quiet_ he will be allowed in listen in on your questioning. Is this not fair?" Dumbledore proposed sending a pointed look at both the intruder and Harry.

"Yes, of course." Hope nodded regaining some of his composure. "But you wouldn't perhaps want to put me down now, would you?" he requested although he knew the answer.

"I'm afraid not." Dumbledore said shaking his head, a slight smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. "Mr. Estheim was it?"

"Hope Estheim, yes." He replied.

"Why have you come here? Did you actually come here from another world as Mr. Potter told us?" Dumbledore asked beginning the questioning.

"As I said earlier, Harry is in grave danger. I needed to come here from my world, yes another world, in order to prepare him for what is coming"

"What exactly do you think is coming?" Umbrige interjected crossly.

"We believe that someone from my world is going to come here to kill Harry." Hope informed them slowly in attempt to drop the load lightly onto the wizards.

"What would anyone in your world possibly have against Harry?" Dumbledore questioned the anger clear in his voice.

"Harry posses a special gift. One, which until recently, I thought impossible. He's – he's a time-traveler." Hope confessed, allowing the knowledge to flow freely.

"That is absolute nonsense! Headmaster I _demand_-!" Professor Umbridge yelled pointing an accusing finger at the mysterious intruder.

"Dolores, please." The Headmaster said cutting the Ministry official off. "Continue Mr. Estheim." Dumbledore insisted.

"That place we were in during your dream is called the Historia Crux. You can use it to travel through the flow of time." Hope began to explain to the adolescent but he soon realized Harry wasn't listening.

"How-how can this be happening?" Harry asked himself in disbelief. "You must have the wrong person Hope. I've never done or seen anything like this in my life. I mean when I found out I was a wizard I could at least _do_ things but-"

"You had that dream, didn't you?" Hope provided gently.

"But that's-" Harry objected.

"It starts off with the dreams then it…. then it escalates." Hope explained trailing off.

"Is that what happened to you, Mr. Estheim?" Dumbledore said continuing the interrogation despite Harry outbursts. He should have excepted Harry to disobey his orders in a situation like this anyhow.

"No. A good friend of mine started off like that; Serah. She's back in my world, travelling through the timeline." Hope elaborated giving more detail than he would have liked thanks to the truth serum.

"Why can we have these dreams?" Harry asked, slowly coming to terms with this new information.

"We were blessed by a Goddess called Etro." Hope replied. On his way to this world he didn't know how he was going to explain Harry's situation but the truth serum seemed to produce the words for him; all he had to do was let them out.

"A goddess he claims! Are you all going to sit here while this intruder shoves rubbish down our throats?" Umbridge cried in outrage.

"Let me remind you Miss Umbridge that "this intruder" is under the effect of veritaserum. Continue Mr. Estheim." Snape volleyed in his usual monotone drawl.

"Harry when you were a baby your mother sacrificed herself to save your life, correct?" Hope questioned.

"How did you-?" Snape asked quietly to himself wondering how a person who claimed to be from another world could possibly know about Lily's death.

"Then when the killer went after you the spell back-fired and you obtained your scar?" Hope asked for clarification.

"Yes," Harry agreed hesitantly no quite sure where this conversation would lead.

"I'm afraid it wasn't your mother that saved you…" Hope admitted as he observed Harry. The look that soon overtook his face; one of sheer disbelief and a deep unforgotten pain, is the one that he imagined himself to have worn when his own mother died.

"No… that can't be…." Harry whispered as he began to lightly shake his head.

"When the goddess saw the sacrifice your mother made, she intervened and saved your life and that's how we believe you were blessed with the gift of time travel." Hope blurted out, not only was the serum causing Hope's words to be truthful, it was also forcing them out of his mouth against his will. He didn't want to have to continue this story but he didn't have a choice in that matter. He had planned to tell Harry all of this information slowly and with tact but that plan had clearly been blown out of the water. Now the young wizard was forced to hear all of this astonishing news all at once.

"Why did you decide to come here and tell us all this?" Professor Snape demanded his tone holding a slight edge.

"My colleagues and I aren't the only ones who know about Harry's gift in my world. The Seeress, someone who can see into the future," Hope amended, "saw Harry in a vision, that's how we found out about his gift. But, the Seeress's guardian, Caius, wants Harry dead."

"Why, does my gift affect your world somehow?" Harry asked his voice trembling; he couldn't imagine having two powerful murders targeting him.

"The Seeress, Yeul, is cursed to have these visions of the future whether she wants them or not. She is doomed to see the future no matter how horrible it may be. This is why Caius wants to save her."

"How does he plan to do that?" Dumbledore asked hesitantly although he didn't want to hear the answer.

"Caius is attempting to stop time in my world by transporting it into a realm called Valhalla. It wouldn't be past him to try to kill Harry if Caius feels it will help Yeul. Perhaps he will try to send your world to Valhalla as well." Hope provided grimly.

"What is Valhalla?" Professor McGonagall asked her eyes wide and her face ashen.

"Valhalla, sometimes referred to as the Unseen realm, is a world untouched by the flow of time. Time simply doesn't exist there. If Caius were able to send our worlds to Vahalla, Yeul would no longer have to be plagued with visions of the future, because their simply would be no future to see."

"Is Caius really that strong that he could send a whole world into this dimension?" Dumbledore questioned the open air. "What do you suggest we do?" He questioned meeting Hope's deep green eyes with his own tired stare as he tried to search for the deeper personality behind the mysterious man.

"Brace yourselves for the worst I suppose. If you will allow me I may be able to predict when Caius will arrive. I will also do my best to prepare Harry for what is to come." Hope proposed as he met Dumbledore's gaze with as much sincerity as he could.

"Tell me just one more thing Mr. Estheim…. Why is it that you care? Why would you even bother to help us?" Dumbledore pressed as he stared mercilessly at Hope's face this time his glance accusing.

"How could I possibly let something as terrible as that happen when I knew about it and could do something to stop it? My world was almost torn at the very seams; I know what it's like to feel true fear! I overcame it and I would never let that happen to anyone-!" Hope yelled. He stopped himself. It took every bit of his strength not to say anything more but he couldn't tell them that; not yet. The memories were too painful, the wounds too raw. He was getting too emotional.

"I see there's more to that story than you're willing to admit Mr. Estheim." Dumbledore remarked. Hope remained silent, determined not to say another word. "All in due time I suppose…. you said that you could predict Caius's arrival?"

"Yes. But I'll have to get close to the gate first." Hope said letting himself hope that he may soon touch solid ground again.

"Fair enough." Dumbledore replied. "Can we trust you enough to let you go, Mr. Estheim?" There was a greater meaning behind these words. What Dumbledore was really saying is; can a trust you enough to help me? Will I be able to rely on you? But most importantly; can I entrust Harry's safety to you?

"Yes." Hope answered truthfully letting his eyes drift over to Harry who gave him a brief nod of approval. The Headmaster slowly began to lower Hope; who now touched the floors of Hogwarts this time not as an intruder; but as a guest.

"Wait just a moment Headmaster!" interrupted Dolores Umbridge. "You're letting him go? You do know I wouldn't let this stand! I'll report it to the Ministry immediately!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hope recommended. "I'm the best source of information you have. If you want your best chance against Caius and for Harry to live, you need me. You can't afford to have me sent away" The stout women merely narrowed her eyes.

"What makes you such an expert?"

"The fact I _am_ an expert." Hope explained. "I work for an organization that specializes in technology including that of devices involved with time travel. I had been studying these gates and tracking Caius for quite awhile before I figured out that I too possessed the gift of time travel." Umbridge refused to reply and decided to instead put her hands on her hips and turn away from the conversation. Despite her reluctance, Hope knew he had silenced her; at least for now.

"Oh really?" Dumbledore smiled at the young man's shift in personality. He could tell that Hope was a competent young man from the way he talked but he was admittedly quite relieved that he possessed knowledge of what they would be facing. The Headmaster thought he would have to dig for information on this new enemy with Hope's knowledge as mere clues, but perhaps that wouldn't be necessary. "How about that gate then?"

"Not a problem." Hope answered as he begun to take his tablet out of his pocket. "I'll just have to run a few test with this-" He explained producing the device. He was about to further explain the process when he noticed the people around him giving him the strangest look. "What?"

"I'm afraid that wouldn't work here." Professor McGonagall warned gently. "Technology doesn't work at this school, there's simply too much magic here."

"You're kidding me…." Hope trailed off in disbelief. When the Head of Gryffindor House nodded gravely at him he knew that this was no joke, he would really have to rely on magic again. He hadn't done that in a _very_ long time.

"Speaking of magic you seem to know quite a bit about it. When we lifted you into the air you didn't even question it." Albus Dumbledore remarked almost as if he could read Hope's thoughts.

"That's because I can also use magic." Hope blurted out. He was starting to get quite annoyed with this truth serum. "But I haven't used it for quite a long time." He amended his gaze becoming downcast and his voice soft.

"I have a feeling there's quite a lot we don't know about you yet Mr. Estheim." Dumbledore commented the corners of his lips quirking upwards.

"All in due time." Hope volleyed repeating the wise man's words.

~END CHAPTER~


	4. Chapter 4

Blessed Chapter 4: The Stranger

Disclaimer: I own nothing expect the original plot of this story. I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy 13-2

3rd Person P.O.V

"Could I have all the heads of houses come here for a moment?" requested Albus Dumbledore as he began to bring some order to the chaos that had befallen Hogwarts. Within a few moments Professors Snape, McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick had forced their way through the circle of people surrounding the Headmaster and stood before him giving the wizard their full attention.

"We need to inform the students of the guest that will now be staying with us at Hogwarts." Dumbledore continued, motioning towards Hope who now stood beside Harry. The white-haired young man shot a questioning look at his elder; how was he going to possibly explain his presence at the school without causing some sort of riot. Hope knew that it wouldn't be the truth; he had enough experience with the world to know that the truth wasn't necessarily the best explanation.

"What do you want us to say?" Professor Flitwick questioned. Hope was admittedly quite surprised at first at the man's height but didn't dwell on it. After all, he supposed a lot of the things in his world would seem strange to these people. Besides it would be impolite to pry and now that Hope could feel the grips of the truth serum let go of his speech he could finally refrain from commenting.

"As most of the children saw the gate but not Mr. Estheim, we can tell them that I called Hope in order to investigate the gate, as an expert in the field who has had previous experiences with the devices. He will stay with us to monitor and observe the device." Dumbledore fabricated quickly with a sigh. Hope had to admit the story was plausible and he wouldn't have any trouble of playing the part of a researcher, because he was one in actuality.

"Wouldn't we have to still have to deal with the fact that this gate has appeared with no explanation?" Professor McGonagall asked as he raised a skeptical eyebrow at the Headmaster.

"Worse things have happened at Hogwarts and we were able to survive. Its better that they question the gate then realize that Caius is coming. If the students ever figure out what's really happening; there will be mass panic, they'll take Mr. Estheim away, and we'll be left defenseless." Dumbledore rambled mostly to himself as if convincing himself he was doing the right thing. The professors all nodded in agreement; well all except one.

"What do you suppose we do when this Caius bloke shows up then?" Umbridge snapped bitterly. Harry was about to open his mouth to say something when the Headmaster started to speak once again.

"That's a discussion for another time. For now we must inform the students of out guest's presence and let them out of their common rooms. Everyone is dismissed." Dumbledore ordered. Slowly the teachers began to shuffle their way out of the Great Hall and towards their next destination until the grand room was scarcely occupied. The only people lingering behind were the Headmaster himself, Harry and Hope.

"Hope?" Harry began as turned towards the white-haired adult.

"I suppose you'd like some of those answers now." Hope laughed as if he could read Harry's thoughts. "Ask away."

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm afraid Harry will have to wait just a little bit longer for his answers. I need to speak with you privately Mr. Estheim." Dumbledore requested. There were answers Dumbledore still needed; answers that couldn't wait.

"But Professor-" Harry objected.

"Harry shouldn't you be going to see your friends anyway?" The Headmaster reminded his student. "They didn't look so pleased with you last I saw them."

Harry knew that he should go explain his situation to his friends. They had felt betrayed when he had spoken out for Hope at his interrogation and they had every right to be mad at him. Harry hadn't told them a thing about his dream. After all he didn't think that anything would come from it. Although Harry could justify his actions to himself over and over again he couldn't stop the aching feeling of guilt and regret that crawled into his gut and overwhelmed his immediate curiosity.

"You're right," Harry sighed. "I should go talk to them before any of this gets even more out of hand."

"Good." Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Off you go then."

"I'll come find you in the morning, Ok Harry?" Hope suggested.

"Sure, see you in the morning then." Harry agreed as he turned and made his way to the large double doors of the Great Hall. Although Harry had managed to suppress his thirst for answers on his new abilities and of Hope's world, one question still nagged at the back of Harry's mind as he began to make the trek up the Moving Staircase towards his common room, what was it that Dumbledore wanted to discuss with Hope?

~Scene Change~

By the time Harry finally managed to make it to the Gryffindor common room McGonagall had just finished her speech and passed him as she exited the room. He could feel the smug looks that his fellow Gryffindors were shooting his way almost as if they created their own weight. Nobody had to talk, as Harry knew the questions that were swimming through their minds: Why was he the only one out of the common room, what trouble had he managed to cause this time?

Harry spotted a cluster of ginger hair in the corner of the room so he began to struggle his ways through the crowd, apologizing as he went. Finally, when he had maneuvered his way to the back of room he noticed his friends; Hermione, Ron, Neville, Fred, George and Ginny.

"We need to talk." Harry stated dumbly finding himself at a loss for better words.

"You think?" Hermione scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"Did you tell them?" Harry asked as he gestured to Fred, George and Ginny.

"About the guy that appeared?" Ginny questioned in a hushed voice. "Yes."

"I guess were all in this together then. I know I screwed up but I really can't explain it here. Come with me and I'll explain everything, okay?" Harry pleaded.

"Fine, where should we go then?" Ron asked.

"Wherever no can hear us." Harry replied.

"Well we can't leave the Common Room because it's after hours." Hermione inputted when Harry gave her a bemused look she narrowed her eyes. "We can't all fit under your invisibility cloak."

"We can use our room." Fred and George suggested. "Our roommates will probably be out here talking for the next little bit so if we go now we should be able to get some privacy."

"Sure. Lead the way." Harry agreed.

The group remained quiet as Fred and George lead them up the stone staircase to the dormitories and down the boy's hallway to one of the last doors in the hallway. When they finally entered the room Harry wasn't surprised to see the clutter that had been accumulated by young men that occupied the room. Even though it was near the beginning of the year it looked as though the boys had been living here all their lives. Quidditch banners, socks and textbooks lay across the floor, bed sheets were clumped together at the foot of mattresses and Harry could smell the faint odor of dirty socks and sweets (which was no doubt thanks to Fred and George's business). Harry found the room homey and comforting but he felt that girls had quite a different opinion as their scrunched their noses to protect themselves from the stench.

"Ok what's been going on Harry?" Hermione asked as she sat down on one of the beds.

"That man that you saw appear in the Great Hall, the one they claimed to have invited here to study the device; his name is Hope Estheim. He's from another world." Harry began to explain even though he realized none of what he was saying was going to make any sense to the others.

"Another world?" Ron asked, his eyebrows rising. "You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious. They made him drink vetriaserum and everything." Harry provided.

"They must have thought the situation was pretty serious then. It's not often that Dumbledore uses vetriaserum. The only time I've heard of him using it was against Barty Crouch Junior last year. They must have thought this guy was a pretty big threat." Fred remarked.

"Do you know what the guy wants?" George questioned

"Believe it or not he wants to help me. He believes that someone from his world is coming here to kill me." Harry replied.

"Another psycho is trying to kill you? What did you do to piss this one off?" Fred snorted sarcastically.

"Apparently, I'm some kind of time traveler. This guy, Caius wants me dead because this girl from the other world saw me in a vision." Harry sighed still uneasy about his knew found status.

"Harry there's no such thing as time travel." Hermione stated as her eyes widened with shock.

"That's what I thought as well….." Harry trailed off as he tried to muster up a way to explain his situation. "Look it'll make more sense if I explain it this way. I knew that Hope was coming to Hogwarts before he arrived, that's why I tried to stop Dumbledore. I had this dream and Hope asked me to lead him to my world. I did because I didn't really think much of it at the time and then the next day Hope appeared. That's can't be a coincidence."

"But how-?" Hermione breathed at a loss for words.

"Hope said it was because I was blessed by some goddess called Etro. She saved me when Voldemort tried to kill me when I was a baby. Apparently this gave me time travel powers." Harry offered with a shrug.

"So Hope is here to try to help you defend yourself against Caius?" Neville clarified finally entering the conversation.

"Yes." Harry replied simply. "He said he would find me in morning and answer any questions I might have."

"Good, because I think we need a lot of answers." Hermione added as she cradled her head in her hands.

~Scene Change~

Hope's footsteps echoed throughout the empty stone hallways of the school as he walked side-by-side with the elderly Headmaster. He would have thought that the echoing would have served to lessen the thick air of tension and silence surrounding the two of them but all it seemed to do was make things worse. Each step was thundering and as there was nothing else to focus on, Hope focused on the sound to the point where his own walking seemed to bother him. He needed desperately to break the silence. Thankfully, Dumbledore abruptly stopped in front of a stone statue. It was a perfect rendition of a majestic eagle spreading its wings almost as if it were making itself larger in order to fend off some evil.

"_Sherbet lemon." _Dumbledore called softly. To Hope's astonishment the eagle statue began to turn and lift higher and higher into the air until it was out of sight. Soon a full stone, spiraling staircase was revealed and took the statue's place.

"Up these stairs is my office. We can talk there." Dumbledore stated as he motioned for Hope to go first.

When Hope had finished his climb he briefly inspected the large office. To him, the room felt busy, compared to his office at the Academy. Hope's office was occupied by only the bare necessities; a desk, his computer and book shelf or two. Yet in this office, which Hope felt was also much larger than his, there was much to be explored. Hope felt as if he could search through the bookcases and chests of this room all day and still not have seen everything.

Hope briefly registered wooden floors and bookcases lining almost every wall as he was rushed along by Dumbledore to a chair where he was seated in front of the Headmaster's desk. When the elderly wizard was finally seated and looked approachable Hope started the conversation.

"So why did you want to talk to me privately? If you wanted to ask me something why not ask me while I was under the effects of the truth serum?" Hope asked finally getting to do some of his own questioning.

"For a number of reasons, I suppose." Dumbledore sighed as he sunk into his chair's upholstery back. "For one I find it hard to question you with certain staff members watching and criticizing my every move." He began to list off. He didn't have to mention that 'certain staff member's name. Hope knew to whom he was referring. "I also mentioned there was much that I have yet to learn about you. Honestly I feel that before I entrust this situation to you I must learn more about your qualifications. It's obvious to me that you've gone through quite a lot of trauma, Mr. Estheim; it's why you feel you have to protect this world. Normally I'd leave you alone with your troubles but I must know what you are capable of, I'm afraid."

Hope's muscles tensed; he had wished that this conversation would never come. "Well Professor-" Hope stopped, realizing that he never learned the Headmaster's name.

"Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore." The wizard provided.

"Yes then, Professor Dumbledore, you must realize that trust works two ways. Before I tell you anything else tell _me_ why I should trust _you._" The young director demanded.

"You have quite a good point there." Dumbledore complimented with a slight smirk. "Well we both want the same thing right? We both want to save this world, but more importantly we also want what's best for Harry." Hope searched the old man's eyes for a moment and he saw no deception in their depths. Hope had thought he was a good judge of character; but after Alyssa had betrayed him he wasn't so sure anymore. But then something in the wizard's determined stare crumbled ever so slightly; there was just slightly touch of weakness, of desperation.

"I've been protecting Harry the best I can but, admittedly, I need some help. You're the only one who can protect Harry from Caius. Please, I have no choice but to put my trust in you so please let me know that I'm making the right decision. Please trust me."

"Where do you want me to start?" Hope asked with a sigh as he pushed back the nagging feeling he was making a mistake into a dark crevasse of his mind.

"From the beginning, I suppose." Dumbledore suggested. "From when things started to go wrong."

So Hope began to talk. He told Dumbledore of his world; of how the planets of Cocoon and Pulse were sworn enemies and how he was taught as a child that Pulse was a living hell. Despite the images it brought back of her, Hope told Dumbledore of the day him and his mother, Nora, went to Bodum to see the fireworks and how that had caught them up in the Purge that lead to his mother's death. Hope had expected the Headmaster to make some motion of pity or offer his condolences like most people did when they learned of his mother's death, but he made no such offering. Hope continued to talk what seemed to be endlessly. He briefly noticed that dark skies that were framed by the windows. He had been talking far into the night; although he didn't know how long.

At first Hope found it was rather hard to talk about his 'adventures'; how he had become a L'cie and learned to use magic, how he had sought revenge against Snow for causing his mother's death and later forgave him, and finally how eventually everyone rallied together to defeat Orphan. All six of them had made many mistakes and despite the fact that Hope barely knew Dumbledore he felt that he needed to explain his actions to the old man. They had done what they thought was right and in the end it didn't work out the way they had hoped.

Dumbledore didn't utter a single word until Hope reached the point of his story where his memory began to go hazy; when all of them had been blessed by Etro. He remembered Lightning joining Fang and Vanille in the crystal pillar but he knew that wasn't true; she was sent to Valhalla. Yet why did his memory try to tell him otherwise?

"Is there something wrong?" The Headmaster asked when Hope paused in his story.

"I don't exactly remember what happens next." Hope admitted aloud as he rubbed his temples. He felt a large headache coming on. "Something happened in our timeline that replaced everyone's memory. No one's completely sure of what happened. Serah has some idea but everyone's memory is still at least partially altered."

"Well, try going from the beginning and explain what happened with what you believe to be the truth, maybe it'll trigger something." The wise man suggested. "So you and the other L'cie defeated Orphan right? What happened next, or at least what do you believe really happened?"

"After we defeated Orphan the planet started to collapse. That part is definitely true. Then we were floating in the air…." Hope remembered. He could still faintly feel the air whipping around him as they had feel towards their dying world. "I grabbed hold of someone's hand and we all formed a ring; tried to stay together. We looked back and I remember seeing Lighting, Fang and Vanille transform into a crystal pillar that now suspends Cocoon…. But that can't be true. Lightning must have been with us."

"So what happened to the rest of you then; those in the ring?" Dumbledore prompted trying to get Hope past his memory blip.

"Well we landed on the surface of Pulse and since we had completed our duties as L'cie we turned to crystal." Hope explained.

"You said that once an L'cie completes their focus they go into a crystal sleep for hundreds of years, correct?" The headmaster recalled.

"Yes normally, but this is where Etro comes in." Hope tied in. "She saved use from our crystal sleep early."

"And Lightning?"

"We don't know. We know that she isn't in the pillar and that she somehow ended up in Valhalla we just don't know how." Hope sighed as fatigue suddenly took over. He was starting to have a hard time keeping his eyes open. How long had he been talking for?

"I see." Dumbledore mused. "Is that why you do the work you do? So you can find her?"

"She's part of the reason. There are many people I want to save; Lightning, Fang, Vanille, my mother….." Hope trailed off. "But they aren't the only reasons I do research. I want to help my planet. I want to create a world better than the one we had before. We don't need the fal'Cie to order to survive. I became a director at the Academy to show that we humans are completely capable of being self-sufficient, of doing things with our own bare hands and with our own minds."

"You know, for your age Mr. Estheim, you're quite impressive." The wizard complimented. "I can see that Harry will be in good hands with you." When the Headmaster spoke these works he was surprised to see just how much he believed them. Spending time with someone who had been through some of the same and some even harder challenges as him and thrived because of them would be good for Harry. Perhaps all the boy needed was a little hope.


	5. Chapter 5

Blessed Chapter 5: Temporal Anomaly 

Disclaimer: I own nothing expect the original plot of this story. I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy 13-2.

3rd Person P.O.V

He wandered aimlessly in a plane of darkness as ribbons of purple fog circled around him. He strained to hear something; anything in the distance but his ears felt plugged, and all that he was hearing was static. He searched in the distance but the space seemed to go on forever. It was different than the plane where he had met Hope but Harry could tell that this area was not a part of his world. It felt different… the air was filled with this electricity…Harry stepped forward and heard the sound of his shoes hitting the non-existent floor. Why would he possible hear shoes? He was dreaming wasn't he? He hadn't worn shoes to bed.

He looked down towards his feet and noticed they were covered in cloth and binded by chord to make moccasins. As his senses slowly returned to him he noticed coldness on his left forearm which upon future inspection he found to be a metal arm band shaped like a snake that slithered around hs arm from his wrist to his elbow. He looked to his clothes and was appalled to notice his stripped pajamas had been replaced with the strangest of outfits. His jet black pants fit loosely around his things and his tight fitting white shirt seemed rather plain until his turned his head to inspect his back where cartoon black wings were sewn into the otherwise snow white fabric.

"Hope?" Harry called half-heartedly still clinging to the notion that just like his last strange dream, Hope would come and they would figure a way to get out of there. Harry went quiet for a few moments as he stilled his breathe and perked his ears. He didn't receive any sort of reply for quite a while until he heard a faint voice call in the distance.

"What?" Harry called as he couldn't quite make out the muffled words.

"You know Hope?" a soft female voice asked.

"Yes…." Harry replied tentatively as he begins to hear footsteps behind him approaching quickly. He chooses not to turn around; all he did was stand and wait. Then she stepped out in front of him and all he could see for a moment was a flash of light. But when he finally focused he saw a tall, graceful figure standing before him. She wore a white dress with red ribbon wrapped around the waist, accessorized with gold armlets and a silver necklace. Her light blue eyes stared into his own as she inspected him curiously and hesitantly lifted his bangs up to reveal the scar etched into his forehead. Everything about this woman seemed bright, almost as if she were her own source of illumination. If Harry didn't know better he would have thought she was an angel; no a goddess. He didn't dare move.

"So, Hope did find you, huh?" she smiled lightly as she released his hair. "I'm glad. I was so worried he might have gotten lost in the Historia Crux."

"How did you know Hope was coming to find me?" Harry asked his muscles relaxing. There was that feeling again; that trust he had felt when he met Hope. He remembered Hope had told him of a friend that also had strange dreams like him. Perhaps this woman was….

"Serah?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, how did you know?" Serah asked as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Hope told me he had a friend whose powers started with strange dreams like mine. He also told me her name was Serah." Harry replied.

"So you're like me then? That's strange…. honestly out of all the people I know that possess these powers, I'm the only one who's ever had the dreams. I wonder why it is that you have them, then?" She mumbled to herself as she crossed her arms and titled her head.

"Um, my name is Harry by the way, Harry Potter." He introduced extending a hand for her to shake. She took it willingly, smiling pleasantly as she did so.

"It's nice to meet you." She commented as she broke the handshake. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"Why is that? Do these dreams happen a lot?" Harry questioned as he prayed in his mind that the answer would be no.

"Constantly." Serah answered grimly.

"Well at least I wouldn't be the only one here." Harry commented trying to be positive. Suddenly the edges of his vision began to blur and the plugged feeling returned in his eardrums. Serah seemed to be moving further away from him and when he stumbled forward the gap only grew.

"What's happening?" He shouted to Serah's retreating figure.

"You're waking up!" She yelled; the words seemed distant and floated in the air like thick fog. Just before Harry exposed his eyes to the harsh morning light, the last thing he heard was Serah soft voice saying;

"I'll see you soon."

* * *

"Harry?" he heard Ron call as slowly the red-head's freckled features came into focus.

"What time is it Ron?" Harry groaned as he begun roll out of bed and uncoil his muscles.

"Like 8:30ish…" Ron replied with a shrug, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"What do you mean 8:30? Hope's probably already waiting for me!" Harry exclaimed as he tripped over a pile of clothes on the floor as he scrambled to grab the things he needed for the day.

"Harry relax, it's the weekend. No normal person gets up before 9:00. Hope's probably still sleeping." Ron reasoned as Harry ran frantic around the room rushing to get ready.

"Not Hope. He said he was researcher and even when I first met him in the Historia Crux he looked perfectly trimmed; not a hair out a place." Harry countered.

"And…. what does that have to do with anything?" Ron asked confused.

"That seems like the type of man who gets up early in the mornings." Harry concluded as he finally finished getting dressed.

"Whatever you say mate." Ron said as he followed Harry out of the room.

"On the other hand…." Harry trailed off as him and Ron began to make their way down the stairwell to the common room. "Hope seems nice enough so it's probably not him we should worry about getting mad at us. It's Hermione; she seemed really upset yesterday. Well I mean more than usual."

"She has a right to be I guess." Ron commented. "We're all freaked out. We're used to Voldemort coming after you because face it; it happens pretty much every year. But this Caius guy…. We know nothing about him. I think that's what would scare Hermione the most. There's no book out there that will tell her what to do. No matter how much she reads, she can't get the upper hand."

"That's probably why she wants us to get Hope on board as much as possible. He's our best and only source of information and for Hermione, information is power." Harry extended as they entered through the threshold into the Gryffindor common room.

"There you are!" Hermione sighed as she charged towards the boys; Neville and Ginny in tow. "Where have you been?"

"Ron didn't wake me up." Harry explained as he raised his hands in defense. "Has Hope come yet?"

"No, he hasn't." Neville replied with a nervous look in his eyes.

"What did I tell you Harry? Man's probably sleeping in like any normal human being." Ron interjected.

"Now's not the time Ron." Ginny chided her older sibling.

"Hey are Fred and George here?" Ron asked as he scanned the room for his brothers, expecting them to be lurking in a corner somewhere. But there was no one to be seen. The group found themselves conveniently all alone in the common room, which was quite peculiar, usually the early birds would be returning from breakfast by now.

"Believe it or not they're already up." Hermione informed. "They went to get breakfast about a half an hour ago."

"Strange… it's weird for them to want to miss out on the fun." Harry remarked. Almost as if summoned by the comment, laughter sounded from the portrait entrance to the Common Room.

"Oh we didn't miss out on _anything._" remarked Fred between laughs. Everyone shot around to face the twins as they strolled casually into the common room but what they didn't expect to see behind them was Hope; with a shocked look of trauma plastered on his face.

"Hope?" Harry asked unsure how he should interpret his elder's expression.

"What did you do to him?" Ginny exclaimed as she pointed an accusing finger at her brothers.

"Nothing really," Hope assured snapping back into reality as he realized how the situation appeared. "It wasn't them."

"It would seem that Dumbledore forgot to mention that the doors to the common rooms come with passwords." George explained as he grinned from ear to ear finding the situation far more hilarious than it should have been.

"Nor did he mention that the painting could _talk_." Hope added the sour expression returning to his face.

"What happened?" Ron asked curious to what the twins were getting so cracked up about.

"Hope was having a little trouble with the Fat Lady, you see. He _insisted _that Dumbledore had given him permission to talk to Harry because he was the last one to see the device. Good cover-up by the way, that'll stop people from asking questions." Fred began.

"But she was having none of it. He kept on trying to tell her but she just wouldn't let him in. Stubborn lady she is. But Hope just kept on being so _polite_ about it. We watched for a good five minutes and we eventually took pity on him and let him in." George finished.

"And that's why I was so late. Sorry about that Harry." Hope apologized.

"It's really no problem." Harry assured glad that he didn't miss his meeting with Hope. "But didn't you and Dumbledore talk last night? Wouldn't he have taken you to his office?"

"Yes…." Hope answered hesitantly not sure if he wanted to know where this conversation was going.

"Dumbledore has a bunch of paintings in his office. Wouldn't you have seen them?" Harry finished.

"Wait a moment. You're telling me that Professor Dumbledore had all of these paintings in his office listening in on what we were saying?" Hope enunciated. This was not good news. Now anybody could know about his past, all they would have to do is ask the paintings. "I thought the reason Dumbledore took me to his office is so I could talk to him _alone._"

"Well they were probably asleep." Neville reasoned trying to diffuse some of the tension in the room.

"They _sleep _too?" Hope asked in disbelief as he released a sigh. It looked like his secrets were going to be safe for at least a little longer. "Magic is so different here."

"You can use magic too, Mr. Estheim?" Hermione questioned her eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Yes. But as I said my magic and your magic are quite different. The magic I do is mostly elemental magic with a few offensive and defensive boost spells. Our magic is basically for battle purposes only while yours can do a variety of other helpful tasks as I understand it. In addition there's a lot more people in your world that know magic. I've never had to worry about magic interfering with my equipment before and now while I'm here at Hogwarts…. nothing works."

"You said that your type of magic was only used for battle Mr. Estheim…." Hermione commented. "Does that mean you're a solider?" She asked hesitantly.

"I guess you could say I was…. in a way. Not in any normal sense." Hope answered as he trailed off. "That's another story for another time I'm afraid, for somewhere much more private than here. I had given up magic when I became a researcher but now it looks like my circumstances have changed."

A drawn out silence followed. Harry knew that he himself trusted Hope for whatever strange bond seemed to link him and all the other time travelers. But some of his friends didn't seem to feel the same connection. Harry inwardly sighed when he saw Hermione narrow her eyes in suspicion.

"Either way I really should remember my manners. I haven't introduced myself yet although you all seem to know me. I am Director Hope Estheim. Where I'm from I'm a researcher who studies space time anomalies, or in other words the gates like the one that appeared here and their effects. I hope I can be of some assistance to you in the future." Hope introduced extending a hand for the adolescents to shake. Each teen in turn shook the researcher's hand and supplied their names. Hope didn't pause however until he shook the hand of Hermione Granger. Hope could see the masked suspicion in her eyes. She may have been smiling and shaking his hand but she didn't trust him yet. Hope had to acknowledge this girl was clever, and cautious in matters of the mind. Exactly the type of person he would want on his team at the Academy.

"Anyways I don't think that most of us have eaten breakfast so why don't we grab so food from the Great Hall?" Harry suggested. "We can go outside after words with our food. We shouldn't get overheard there."

"Sounds good to me." Hope nodded.

"Alright let's go!" Ron cheered. "I'm starving."

"The amount of manners you display in public amazes me, Ronald." Hermione scoffed.

* * *

Once the group had finally made their way to the Great Hall, Hope separated from the crowd and went to grab his breakfast. He didn't want to be seen too often with Harry and his friends; it would cause too much suspicion. But it didn't take long before Professor Umbridge intercepted him on his way back from the staff's breakfast table.

"Might I ask where you're going, Mr. Estheim?" She asked feigning innocence. Hope knew that the professor was all too aware the children surrounding them had quieted down to listen to their conversation.

"I'm starting to investigate the device today. I'm about to interview the students who last saw it."

"Well why wouldn't you ask the staff? I'm sure they would be more than happy to answer your questions." She smiled as she pointed towards the gate. Hope briefly acknowledged that a cluster of staff had been stationed beside it to stop curious students from getting to close. It was almost as if they were expecting Caius to come out at a moment's notice.

"Well I thought that since the students have some time off, now would be the most effective time to question them. I'll interview the staff starting after classes on Monday when the students are busy." Hope replied.

"I see. What an effective planner you are Mr. Estheim." Dolores complimented falsely, her eyes betraying her fake politeness. What was she trying to do? Hope knew that Dolores wouldn't kick him out of the school but she was clearly trying to turn the school against him. Hope cast a sideward glace at the students surrounding them and noticed how they all had started to lose interest; he knew he had won this fight.

"Good day Professor." Hope said as he began to make his way back towards this doors where he knew Harry would be waiting for him.

"What was that all about?" Neville asked when they were out of earshot of the Great Hall.

"Looks like Umbridge is trying to wage war." Hope admitted. "It didn't go very well for her though."

"Don't worry about the old hag." Fred assured as the group began to walk towards the grounds. "Nobody but the Slytherins listen to her anyways."

"Slytherins?" Hope asked.

"It's one of the houses in our school. When you first come to Hogwarts they sort you into a house. You can be a Slytherin, a Hufflepuff, a Gryffindor, like us, or a Ravenclaw, based on your personality. "Hermione explained as they crossed the threshold of the entrance into the castle and stepped outside.

"So does one of the teachers sort you? How can they tell what you're like if they don't even know you?" Hope questioned absent-mindedly as he inspected the courtyard. He marveled at the stone creatures that were carved into the fountain. They looked so real that they could jump to life at any moment. Knowing how things had been going for him so far in this world he didn't question that they could.

"Um they kinda have…. a hat that sorts you." Ron began as Hope snapped back to reality. "It sorta looks into your mind and knows what house you'd be best in."

"And of course it talks." George added with a grin.

"Is there anything here that _doesn'_t talk?" Hope asked with a sigh.

"Anyways Hope." Harry cut off trying to get the conversation back on track. The group was now past the front courtyard and into the open fields of the castle's grounds. "Before we start asking you questions there something I want to tell all of you.

"What is it Harry?" Hope asked starting to become slightly concerned.

"I had another dream last night." Harry admitted.

"Another dream about Voldemort?" Hermione asked.

"Who's Voldemort?" Hope wondered.

"Remember the man that killed my mother? That's him. The 'Dark Lord', they call him." Harry explained. "But no, my dream was not about Voldemort. It was another dream like the one I had when I met you, Hope."

"What did you see?" Hope gasped.

"I met Serah." Harry stated as he looked Hope in the eyes to gauge his reaction.

"You can communicate with her in dreams?" Hope asked as his voice became distant. "Despite it being awful that you seem to be having these dream frequently now, it could be useful to be able to talk to Serah."

"Why's that?" Hermione inquired.

"She has much more experience with both time travel and Caius than me. If we ever run into a problem it'll be useful to have her as a resource." Hope provided.

"More experience than you? I thought you researched this stuff?" George grilled.

"I do but Serah has more hands on experience. She's had the power much longer than me and has been travelling through and fixing our timeline for quite some time. She's had more than her fair share of run-ins with Caius as well. In fact it was Serah who told me that I had the power." Hope elaborated. "So we should definitely ask her as many questions as we can. Harry, are you listening?" Hope asked as he waved a hand in front of the boy's vacant eyes.

"I feel like something's…..wrong." Harry said as he stared off towards the direction of the forest.

"I don't feel anything." Ginny remarked as her forehead creased.

"I do." Hope agreed as he suddenly felt a familiar energy wash over him.

"We need to go to the Forbidden Forest." Harry concluded as he began to sprint down a hill, his friends in quick pursuit.

"Um… if it's a _forbidden_ forest perhaps we shouldn't go in?" Hope suggested.

"It's never stopped us before. Don't worry about it." Fred scoffed as he rolled his eyes. With that the group soon found themselves out of breathe as they arrived in front of the forest.

"Nothing _seems_ out of the ordinary." Harry commented as he stepped on the dirt path that would lead him into the heart of the dark forest. Everything seemed normal, but he still couldn't the nagging feeling that something was wrong out of the back of his mind.

"Let's go in and check it out." Hope suggested as he pulled his boomerang out of the pouch strapped to his waist.

"What is that?" Ron asked as he tried to stifle a laugh. "You fight with a boomerang?"

"Trust me this boomerang can do more than you think." Hope assured as he briefly activated the electric shock function to prove his point. "I'll admit I modified it a bit."

"Hope?" Harry called in dismay as he rushed ahead into the forest in front of the others. "What is this?" At the sound of Harry's distress the cluster of people sprinted into the forest. What they found was certainly out of the ordinary. The forest seemed to abruptly stop and suddenly the trees were warped and clouded in a thick dark fog.

"A paradox." Hope answered grimly.


End file.
